


Every me and every you

by Dopt



Category: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
Genre: Developing Relationship, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Mission Fic, Mutual Pining, Pining, Pre-Relationship, RebelCaptain May the Fourth Exchange, Slow Burn, Undercover Missions
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-04
Updated: 2018-09-20
Packaged: 2019-05-01 15:58:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14524113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dopt/pseuds/Dopt
Summary: There was three things he learned easily about Juniper Seung: she was a brilliant programmer, she was also very crass and spent way too much time making lewd jokes but even if she flirted with every coworkers she got, she never actually showed any interest in anyone and, at last, she could break every one of your fingers without batting an eye if you messed with her.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my gift for [ahhavva ](ahhavva.tumblr.com) for the May the 4th exchange. Their prompt was a mission in Coruscant with a slow burn. Well, it's going to be very slow. Enjoy!
> 
> A crappy header can be found [here.](http://doptimous.tumblr.com/post/173570014770/every-me-and-every-you)

  
  


Jyn smiled and he felt something tighten in his chest. It was a real smile, a grin even, full of teeth and crinkled eyes, and then she huffed a laugh and Cassian shouldn’t feel like he was missing something just because it wasn’t addressed at him.

Jean Mevvok was a good ally of the Rebellion, his treading contacts were always interesting and his smuggling talents were really impressive. He was also a funny man, even if his flirting habits didn’t get any better but Cassian never had a problem with it. It shouldn’t be a problem now either just because Jyn was currently the subject of this man worst attempts of seduction. She was old enough to know what he was doing with his never ending flattery and she was certainly strong enough to take care of herself. Really, Cassian shouldn’t have been bothered. And he wasn’t. Jean was just getting on his nerve because their meeting was supposed to be quick, a list of what the Rebellion needed the most in exchange for a good commission when they get to the right place to find it in Mevvok’s name and they all went their merry way.

But of course, nothing went as planned when Jean took a real fancy in Jyn as she commented on the difficulty of finding good forged scandocs without inside help and since then, they’ve been chattering non-stop and Cassian was tired and if really Jyn was interested in that guy, who was he to interfere? He could spare an hour or two in the cantina while they…

“You okay, Captain?”

The question caught him of guard and he relaxed his grip on his cup before looking at Jean with his best bored face. It wasn’t that difficult to master actually.

“Yeah, just tired. If you don’t need me anymore,” he trailed off and began to rise from his seat when Jyn added, "lt was a real pleasure meeting you, Jean, but we have a long way home.”

She was right beside him before Cassian was out of the booth and he must have been more tired than he'd thought because he was pretty sure he never saw her move.

Jean looked quite disappointed by Jyn's departure but she smiled at him again, bright and carefree and so full of genuine pleasure the poor fool couldn’t help but grin back and Cassian fought the need to shiver.

“We’ll keep in touch,” Jyn said with a small wave of her hand and she all but pushed Cassian out of the cantina and back to their ship without another word. He didn’t know if she was upset for leaving so soon but when he suggested she stayed a bit longer, she only snorted a “And what for?” so he didn’t bother much with it. He could admit he was quite happy to be done with this meeting and it had nothing to do with being alone with Jyn for six hours.

\---

The mission brief didn’t come totally unexpected, yet Cassian was a bit disgruntled to be sent to Coruscant alone. The Empire was being ruthless even in the Core worlds and all the non-human were treated very poorly now the Senate was dissolved. Plus all the humans from planets known to not be so keen with the destruction of Alderraan were also being pursued. It was the right time to make recruiting operations. But those operations should be organized in team, at least when it wasn’t just a few people to move.

Coruscant had thousands of Alderranian, Mon Calamari, Cerean and others who would be glad to leave the heart of the Empire and probably help the Rebellion as much as they could. But that was not what was expected of an Intelligence Officer like Cassian. Refugees from the Core worlds didn’t mean anything to Cracken and he wouldn’t use one of his best field operative to coddle some rich sentients because suddenly, their life wasn’t so great anymore. No, what the Intelligence General feared were the systemic interrogations of non-Coruscant native humans and what they could reveal so he sent Cassian to conduct and supervise the questioning as his old persona, Lieutenant Cassein Willix of Imperial counterintelligence. And if in the process Cassian managed an extraction or two, well, the Rebellion wouldn’t stop him.

He took little more than two weeks to arrive at the Naval Intelligence Agency in the Federal district of Coruscant and when finally, he found himself in the bare closet assigned to him as his office, Cassian felt already drained. His transfer had been long, to avoid any tracker and then, he had to wait for an official transfer order, or at least, what must have looked like one but at any stage of his journey, he feared to be found out as the fraud he was and it was a new feeling for him. Or at least, one he hadn’t felt in a very long time.

But now, alone in a world he didn’t really know with no one to watch his back, Cassian’s nerves were all over the place like some teenage rookie send on the field for the first time. At every corner, he doubled checked he wasn’t followed, he didn’t accept any food or drink he hadn’t seen prepared and he spent way too much time to wait for someone that wasn’t there.

For the first week, Cassian barely slept. Between the interrogations of the marked population and the heavy supervision he was subjected to by other Imperial Intelligence officers, he couldn’t find time to go back to his room for more than a quick shower and a change of cloth. He was quite relieved to be that overworked because he didn’t have time to think either. Not that he used his meager spare time to wonder about his comrades, no. He couldn’t indulge in the brief thought of Rogue One even if he was surrounded with pilots in Imperial uniforms and with fierce warriors in colorful clothing.

Still, he had to make a conscious effort to not turn around when a group of technicians pass him with laughter because something in the sound of it made his heart flutter and before he could even think, a memory of Jyn during their last mission together popped in his head. It was not necessarily pleasant to remember how she kept on smiling at that laser-brain but her smile, her laughter, light and carefree, stayed with him for all their way back and... well, that was pleasant. Of course, she had no reason to be in Coruscant now. Yet, the thought of her was enough to calm his nerve, at least for a while. And before he realized what he was doing, he was looking back at the tech, and he noted her shoulder-length curly reddish hair and how she gripped the arms of her coworkers like she couldn’t move alone and he felt disappointed. Definitely not Jyn.

It was strange but his stomach clenched and he walked briskly to his office to study once more all the data he had about the Alderaanian of the 3204th level and how he could compromise any information they might give without the Empire noticing.

That night was the first he actually slept and he even dreamed without nightmare. Finally, he was melting back in his Imperial persona who worked alone and only spoke when spoken to.

\---

Cassian was giving his order to a trooper by his door when a looming dark figure came clanging at the edge of his eyesight. He told himself his heart didn’t react any more than his face but still, he was quite relieved to notice the trooper beside him was too focused on his datapad to see anything. The droid stopped a few steps away from them and waited not so patiently for Cassian to finish. It was strange how this tall thing managed to convey its frustration while doing absolutely nothing and once again, Cassian forced himself to not react in any way.

When the buckethead left, Cassian looked up and the droid approached him on heavy feet, like he didn’t want to be here and in a flat high-pitch voice announced, “Good day, Lieutenant, I have been sent here to assist you with your data analysis, please accept my entire cooperation.”

The droid tried to salute and hold his hand like he wanted Cassian to shake it. When Cassian took it, he noticed the chip hidden between two of its fingers and had to move smoothly to take it away without looking suspicious. They were still in the passageway.

“You don’t really need to be with me. The data I’m processing is all available on any computer terminal of the building and you could send me your result when you’re done.”

The droid’s head moved slowly to the side and its eyes flashed green a few seconds before returning to their normal pale yellow hue.

“I received an order to, and I quote, ‘go help the tight but cute ass-ed lieutenant of the NIA, the one with a buzzcut and a face to sit on.’ From what I gather, you’re the one, even if I fail to understand why someone would want to sit on another face.”

Clearly, the voice modulator had been tampered with but the tone, oh the tone. It was perfect. Flat but with just that edge of gritty, added with the way he moved, it was the perfect copy of someone who couldn’t have been copied. And yet… Cassian blinked and tried to focus because that was too much information to absorb and at the same time, not enough.

“Who send you?” he asked with his most bored voice, like he wasn’t desperate for any kind of explication, and just to confirm the part, he turned around and pressed the key to open the door of his office. It would be much easier to speak there. The droid followed in silence and Cassian managed to put his datapad on his desk and the chip in his pocket without an itch.

“Tech support, sir. They also said you had trouble with your central unit and I should check.”

Cassian frowned but didn’t reply. He actually had a few trouble with the unit he was given, mostly because he kept on receiving spam of suggestive nature even when he took the time to write lines and lines of code to protect his mailing accounts.

When the droid started to work, he finally asked, “What should I call you?”

If it were possible, Cassian would have sworn the droid growled.

“The one who did my last check up before sending me to the NIA called me K2SO4, sir, even if I keep on telling her droid’s name should only have four characters. She made some inane joke about my salty nature that might have been impressive for someone else and then, she focused on the chemical property of potassium sulfate and seemed quite pleased with herself.”

“Because it’s used to as a propellant in numerous handmade bombs and I guess, like so many soldiers, she had some interesting knowledge on the subject.”

“You could say so, but I didn't really have time to talk with her, sir. My detachment was a last minute decision.”

Cassian’s heart fluttered in his chest and he had trouble suppressing his smile. K2 swirled his head to look at the desk and said, “Now, if you don’t mind, I have to review your data. I’ll come to you in a few hours with my results. You may go and have some caf.”

If he were truly Cassein Willix, he would have been offended to be dismissed by a droid. But right now, Cassian  couldn’t pretend to be more than himself. It was difficult enough to not react more openly to the presence of Kay, here, in the NIA headquarters but to know that Jyn not only find a way to restore Kay but she also managed to send him to him… Definitely too much to pretend to be upset. 

\---

Thanks to Kay's analyses, and the chip he gave him, Cassian found a way to protect the Alderraan survivors from the ethnic cleaning wanted by the Empire without looking suspicious, at all. The droid suggested to extract every family with at least one member in the interrogation system by pretending to send them in a labor camp as it was totally the kind of merciless idea a man like Lieutenant Willix would be supposed to do. That way, all the Resistance had to do was to intercept them during the transfer and Cassian could concentrate on the remaining suspects, here, on Coruscant, to avoid them leaking real information. It wouldn't be easy to help them escape, but at least, with their families safe, it would be simpler to convince them to trust him.

The problem was, every time Cassian tried to send a message to his contact, his datapad bugged. Just like his terminal, it kept on receiving unwanted messages from dubious sources he couldn't trace. Frustrated, he once again followed Kay's suggestion and he took a break from his work. Or at least, from his official Imperial work because he couldn't stop when so many lives depended on him.

So since he couldn't contact anyone via the holonet, he chose to use the good old ways and descended in the lowers level of Coruscant to find someone who might help. As Cassein Willix, of course, he couldn't really go down the 2500th floor, but he knew how to disappear and transform and his nearly shaved head helped a lot looking like a mercenary, and with the good clothing he went down and down, until finally, he reached the place were no respectful Imperial would be seen.

It took him less than two clicks and no more than five drinks, mostly to help people's memory and he found a transporter he could trust. Well, seeing Hal Felman wasn't exactly a pleasure but Cassian didn't have the luxury to be picky. Felman used to work with Mevvok, he had ships and he would look too closely at any scandocs from his passengers. He even had a name of a good slicer to get everything in order for the Imperial's controls.

“She went by Juniper from what I heard and it's pretty fitting if you want my opinion.”

Cassian didn't but he wasn't stupid enough to say it.

“Have you ever had Juniper booze? It's typical of Hok. Seems sweet and all but it'll smash your skull right between the eyes before you see it coming. Just like your girl.”

Felman had a stupid smirk on, like he was sharing a joke with an old friend and Cassian felt cold once more. He never had a girl, nor a woman and refused to think of pretty eyes under too long bangs now because, clearly, she wasn't his. At all.

“Mevvok helps her get a job for a company of virtual security here and I think she does so well she got a place upstairs. It might be difficult for you to approach her but you can always find her on line, she's a huge fan of dating service of all kind, always chatting off to find new marks.”

He winked and took another sip of his drink and Cassian nodded his thanks before taking his leave.

“Remember”, the smuggler too loudly, “Juniper Seung, the best rack in the all Corusca sector, and pretty green eyes too.”

When he went back, even as the sky became more and more visible and the temperature rose, he felt colder and colder and he couldn't shake the feeling of need deep in his bones. He didn't want to think about what he missed so much.

\---

There was three things he learned easily about Juniper Seung: she was a brilliant programmer, she was also very crass and spent way too much time making lewd jokes but even if she flirted with every coworkers she got, she never actually showed any interest in anyone and, at last, she could break every one of your finger without batting an eye if you messed with her.

All of this described her as someone he both dreaded to meet and wanted to use. But hearing it from the gossip grapevine and seeing her in person was something else. She was tiny, but that he already knew and her bright green eyes didn't startle him anymore. Like him, she looked mostly the same, she had cut and dyed her hair, but nothing drastic. He even thought the wavy curls were a natural thing due to the shorten length. She looked younger like that. In fact, she looked her age. But what Cassian didn't expect was her dazzling smile, the one that turned into a sharp smirk when he explained in his most bored voice how he needed someone to look at his datapad because he couldn't get ride of the glitch.

Of course, it was her. All along. And he didn't see it coming once again, like when she sent him Kay. It was her who sent him messages on every mailing system he got with his fake identity, it was her who logged him in social media services and created fake persona in his already fake name and globally, it was her who sliced her way in his very Imperial datapad like it was the most natural thing to do, here, in the very core of Imperial Intelligence Agency.

It was also her he noted a few time in the mess, laughing and babbling and making him feel less disgusted with himself but he never really recognized her because she was never facing him and he never, never once imagined she could be here. And even if his whole body was screaming to reach for her, to be sure she was real, she was okay, he kept his distance and his most poise voice told her, “I can't let you work on it unsupervised, Seung, I'm sorry.”

“Well, I don't really have a problem with it, sir, but you should have bring a chair. I'm good but if you want a complete diagnostic, it will take some time.”

They weren't alone, that was why he hesitated for half a second but since the rest of the IT crew seemed busy and Jyn's eyes were still on him with that playful smirk, he shrugged and answered, “I thought I could use yours since I was told you have interesting choice of sitting when I'm concerned.”

He raised an eyebrow in provocation and turned his mouth slightly up but she didn't take the bait and merely hold her hand to take the datapad.

“I guess that's fair of you to remind me. Next time, I'll make sure this kriffing droid learn to shut up.”

“Oh, you like him! Good.” Cassian said without any enthusiasm, “that way it'll be easier for you to spend the rest of your shift with him.”

And without waiting for an answer, he turned back to the corridor and called out for Kay.

“Have fun, you two and please, don't bother to comm me right when you're finished. I'm busy, I won't respond, just drop the pad and the droid on your way home.”

He disappeared before she could tell him to kriff off but he still got her unhappy comment as the door closed behind him. It was easier than he thought even if his heart was beating a bit too fast and he was pretty sure he couldn't get rid of the delight on his face.

\---

She found him in his office way after hours, when even the higher ups had gone home and she wasn't pleased about it. Kay loomed behind her like a menacing shadow but he didn't say a word nor did he move when she all but threw the datapad on Cassian's desk. He stood by his door like a dark sentinel, blocking the entrance as Jyn went inside and closed the door. They were alone and couldn't be disturbed. If only the room was safe, they could have a real conversation. But that was better than nothing.

“All done, Lieutenant. You're very welcome.”

He barely looked at her, clearly busy working, but since she didn't leave as he expected, he closed his tab and turned to face her briefly before taking his datapad and checked for his mail.

“It seems to be working just fine. That's good.”

He was truly impressed because even if she was the one who created the worms, he spent quite some time trying to get rid of it, he also secured several programs and yet, she cleaned everything in less than half a day. Just like everything else he heard about her, her talent as a programmer was true. But Cassein Willix was not one to praise easily, if at all, and certainly not a lowly Tech support like herself so he merely nodded and resumed his reading on the other pad.

But Jyn, or at least Seung, didn't have it.

“You know, some people would at least thank me.”

“For doing your job?” He bit back, letting all his frustrations weighed at his answer.

She huffed and crossed her arms, looking at him with narrowed eyed but she didn't retort anything and Cassian was torn between wanting her to stay to berate him and having her leave because keeping his composure became more and more difficult since he learned she was here.

“Do you need anything else, Seung?” he asked through gritted teeth, eyes focused on his screen. From the corner of his eye he saw her move, fast and nimble like a feral cat ready to pounce. He swallowed before he could think of it when she invaded his personal space. He shouldn't be affected. Nor as Willix and neither as Cassian. Yet, his heart beat faster and his hands felt clammy.

“As a matter of fact,” she gripped the armrest of his chair to force him to face her, “I do, Lieutenant Willix.”

She was looming over him, dangerous and so comforting because he wasn't alone in there and he noted her green green eyes even brighter than he remembered, her lips glossy and her hair nearly in his face and he found her so beautiful he had to take a moment to realize what he'd just thought. He licked his lips and he nearly missed how she tracked the movement of his tongue but his training got better of him; at this point, watching the person he was speaking with was muscle memory.

“My job here isn't to clean up your mess so if you could refrain from lurking on porn forums so much, it would help us both.”

Cassian blinked and sputtered before he caught himself and began to protest but she cut him off.

“Don't try to deny, I've been in there.” She pointed his datapad out and smirked, “If you want some company, in the flesh, I left you all my contact info. Feel free to buy me a drink as a thank you.”

She winked at him and turned around to leave without waiting for permission. She wasn't part of the military after all, so she wouldn't bother with protocol and he was too tired to call her out.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Look,” she said in a low voice, “I know it's not in your mission parameters but I'm here to help and I need to see you out of the Federal District. The dating approach was Kay's suggestion when I uploaded him and I have to admit, it's the easiest way to do it. We don't have to do anything more than meeting each other every few days and...”  
> “Okay.”  
> She paused, surprised by how easy it had been. Not that she imagined he'd put a fight but she thought he would have needed more convincing.

Of course, he found her the next morning, or rather she found him, in the lower canteen, just as he was waiting for his first dose of bland tea to keep his eyes open. Usually, at this time of the day he was alone and he could enjoy the small relief before facing the other officers and pretending to be one of them. He barely heard her footsteps so he whirled around quickly and would have spilled his tea if his cup had been full.

“Don't tell me you spend the night here!” There was more than disbelief in her voice and she must have caught it too because she closed her mouth and took a deep breath.

“You look terrible,” she said in more controlled tone.

“Dully noted,” he answered flatly. Then he turned back to the drinking station and finished to fill his cup in silence. He couldn't reach for her and he didn't know it would affect him so much. Since they were alone, he let himself drop his guard, if only slightly, and put his forehead on the cupboard with the smallest sigh. He felt her move closer and he tensed but she only opened a cabinet to take a cup for herself. Her arm brushed his and Cassian's breath froze in his ribcage. A longing he didn't know burn like acid in his gut and he fought to stay still.

How long had he work alone? He'd been on Coruscant for weeks now, and he managed. He did many missions by himself before and it'd never been a problem. Why was he missing her so much, especially when she was so close to him? That was stupid. He had to get a grip.

When the station finished heating his tea he was almost grateful because he had something to busy his hands with even if it meant he had to move, to put distance between them. It was for the better.

With a nod, he took his cup and went to go back to his office but just as he crossed the threshold, she called back, “I know you're a busy man, Lieutenant, but you're still human and from what I can see, you need to eat. So why not doing so in good company?”

He really needed to leave, because Willix wasn't a friendly man any more than Cassian and he wasn't the kind to make small talk with a lowly tech. Still, he took the bait because he couldn't resist the temptation. And he had to know why she was here.

”And you consider yourself good company?”

She gave him this smile again, sweet and teasing, so unlike the Jyn he knew and so exactly like the one he wanted to know it was frightening.

”Don't judge me by my uniform or lack thereof-”

”I'm quite sure it'll be more fun to have your legs out it before you wrap them around my neck,” Cassian cut and if he wasn't trained as thoroughly as he was, he would have blushed. It wasn't like him to talk like that. It wasn't like Willix either but nobody should know. She laughed, for real, with crinkles around her eyes and shivers in her shoulders and he never felt so proud of himself.

”Okay, I got the feeling I really offended you with that joke. But don't worry; I won't force anything on you. I just want to talk.”

”Why?” It was natural for someone like him to be suspicious and even if Cassian truly wanted to follow her lead, he couldn't accept so easily. Willix lived for his job and wasn't distracted by a pretty face, so she had to find something for him to work with. “You don't know me and I'm pretty sure half of the tech staff would be more than happy to have fun with you. And if you're really into military personnel, you won't have a hard time finding some younger ones ready to...”

”I don't really look for an easy lay, sir, thank you very much.”

She crossed her arms and came closer to look down the corridor to be sure they were still alone. They were. It was too early for anyone with rank and the 'troopers morning shift, same as the tech, had begun at least an hour before.

”It's just... from what I get, you're not from here and... well, people here are nice and all... but if you're like me and you've been around the galaxy... I don't know. You may find Coruscant a bit stifling, especially the Federal district. I wanted to talk with someone whose notion of exoticism ran a bit deeper than going lower than the 3000th level. And you're cute too, even with the perpetual frown.”

She shrugged and he truly didn't know what to say because it was risky to accept, a bit out of character, but at the same time, he really really needed to see her.

”It doesn't have to be more than a meal, you know.” She went back to the drinking station and put her mug down to have her dose too. “As I said, you need to eat. And I'm really bored of the younglings here, so humor me. I finish my second shift by nineteen hundred, so I'll be down to Biscuit Baron by twenty hundred.”

”Biscuit Baron?” The disgust in his voice wasn't even barely fake.

”What? If you wanted something fancier, Lieutenant, you should have made the invitation. I live on tech check, here, and not an official military one.”

She took a sip of her drink and made a face. Cassian realized he was staring a bit too late, when she raised an eyebrow at him with a tilt of her head.

”We have a deal?”

He rolled his eyes and gripped his cup tighter.

”Your insistence is remarkable, but I'm not sure in this case it gets you anywhere.”

”Good think I'm not searching, then.”

Without anything else to say, he left the canteen, feeling both lost and oddly pleased.

\---

The buzzing around her was beginning to come down to a little hum as the night went on. She was tired, her back hurt, her neck hurt, and she was utterly bored but she forced herself to stay on her stool for a bit longer because he was still not here and she refused to consider he stood her up. He’d used his datapad and the contact she’d left him to warn her he’d be late, so he had to come. She just didn’t know when and it was tiresome.

There was a huge screen in her corner of the dinner, where meaningless video seemed to run in circle and she was very tempted to slice in their network to stop the broadcast, or at least, to change it but it would be too noticeable. She managed to secure a good place in an very official company that got her her actual place in the Federal District for the next few weeks and she wouldn't jeopardize her whole cover because some stupid song was grating. So instead, she waved her hand to a service droid and asked for a refill of her drink.

Another half an hour passed and she was very tempted to leave. Her shift began in less than seven hours and she had a few more programs to run to ensure her transmissions were secured before she could go to sleep. And she needed to sleep. The past few weeks had been overly busy to create her persona of Juniper Seung, then to upload her resume and have it realistic enough in case someone searched for her. Juniper Seung had to have left traces somewhere. And good traces. Mevvok helped her quite a bit with her pretended employment history but she still had to work by herself to prove how good a programmer she was, not just a slicer, to get a job in an official place in Coruscant first, then, thanks to a very fortunate illness of one of the Technical Support and the good relationship she'd established with the right people, she got a temporary place in the Federal District. But her job was tiring with loads of craps to fix and long shifts and she was so bored...

Yawning, she took her datapad and run a quick scan of two of her current scams and she was quite pleased to find she managed to get another ID of some stupid Imperial heir in exchange of false promise of a meeting she never intended to accept.

“You seem awfully cheerful for someone who pretended to be bored.”

His voice was low and right in her ear even if she didn’t hear him approach and surprisingly, her first instinct wasn’t to fight but to lean backward on him. She didn’t, of course, but she didn’t hide her smile either.

“Well, I was bored, so I check on a friend and I got some very good news.”

She put her datapad away and patted the seat beside her.

“You’re awfully late, you know.”

He snorted and waved a service droid to pass his order. There was a strange silence because neither of them really knew how they were supposed to act and Jyn wondered if she should comment on his uniform. Another lewd joke may be too much, yet it may also break the ice but she'd never openly flirted with Cassian before and she was sure they weren't in the right mind to begin. For all his social skills, she still knew he was very shy, especially when it came to his feelings and she didn't want to make him feel uncomfortable.

“So?”

Jyn looked up to find Cassian watching her like he was waiting for something and she pushed her leftover to him.

“Eat. You need it.”

“I can wait for my own, you know.”

He tried to push the plate back but she wouldn't have it.

“Yeah, but you're skinny as hell so you should take both. You need some meat on you if you want to perform correctly.”

“And perform what exactly?”

She refused to bat her lashes at him but she let a coil smile play on her lips.

“Don't know, Lieutenant. Whatever a highly respect officer like you is doing.”

He sighed and covered his face in his hands for a few heartbeats. He took a deep breath and she wondered how awful his current job was for him to show so openly his frustration. Her hand was on his thigh before she could think of it and she was upset by how thin he felt under his slack. He shouldn't have lost so much weight. He didn't have that much to lose to begin with and since he'd been on Coruscant for longer than her, he should have had enough to eat. She was pretty sure she gained a few pounds in the three weeks she was here, because even if she wasn't one to indulge in luxury much, three meals a day were more than what she usually had.

“Are you okay?”

He still hadn't moved and she wondered what she was supposed to do. They were in a public place but nobody really minded them and even if there were security cameras everywhere, she had chosen her place carefully to avoid being in the direct line of any of them. So when his plate arrived, Jyn decided they were safe enough to speak normally.

“Look,” she said in a low voice, “I know it's not in your mission parameters but I'm here to help and I need to see you out of the Federal District. The dating approach was Kay's suggestion when I uploaded him and I have to admit, it's the easiest way to do it. We don't have to do anything more than meeting each other every few days and...”

“Okay.”

She paused, surprised by how easy it had been. Not that she imagined he'd put a fight but she thought he would have needed more convincing.

He put his hand down and began to pick at his food without enthusiasm but he seemed to have found some resolve when he looked at her.

“You're a very good programmer so maybe you know how to forge some fake ID...”

“Forgery? Are you kidding me?”

She must have spoken a bit too loud because he was looking at her with alarm so she put on her best reassuring smile and began to play with his sleeve.

“I can spot a forge ID meters away, Lieutenant! If you have any doubt about someone, send me their scandocs and I'll tell you everything you want to know.”

She pulled her stool a bit closer and in a whisper, she added, “I've been caught once for forgery and you perfectly know it.”

He cringed and stopped eating but quickly recovered because she was putting on a hell of an act to correct her mistake and he ought to stay in character. As he merely looked at her with a bored expression, Jyn huffed.

“I won't take that risk again,” she told him and she grabbed for her datapad. “Now, I use real ID.”

She offered him a real smile and he seemed to accept it as he raised an eyebrow and took a look at her screen. Without saying anything, she showed him how she stole Imperial identities and used them to create false documents for the Alliance. He nodded and suggested she looked at the Alderaniaan prisoners currently in questioning. If she could find anything fitting, it would be great. She nodded in return and Cassian fought to hide his smile but she saw it anyway and she felt quite pleased with herself.

While he finished his meal, she continued to talk, but mostly of inane things in case someone were listening. She mentioned a bit of her previous job in Corellia and how she missed the snow and she was glad to see he understood perfectly every innuendo she made about her real self. He spoke very little and never about his job but she didn't pry.

“See,” she concluded as they exited the fast food join, “that wasn't that bad to eat out with me!”

She realized a bit too late what she just said but when she caught the twitch of his lips, she smiled again.

“You're right, Seung-”

“June. Or Juniper if really you need to stay formal but don't call me Seung when I'm out of work.”

Cassian pursed his lips and shook his head slowly.

“As you wish, miss Juniper.”

She beamed again and grabbed his hand.

“Don't go all mushy on me, Lieutenant, I know I speak a lot but I'm not that easy.”

“Never thought you were.”

And by the way he gripped her fingers Jyn felt like it was the most Cassian's thing he said on the night. Even when he asked for her help, it was more Captain Andor speaking than the Cassian she knew. She wanted to say something else, anything to draw the moment out but when she opened her mouth, all that escaped was a yawn and she laughed despite herself.

“Okay, clearly, I kept you up long enough. Go to sleep, now.”

“Don't give me order; I'm not part of the military.”

Cassian rolled his eyes but he didn't look really upset. He even squeezed her fingers gently.

“If it's your way to force me to drive you home, you'll be disappointed,” he said dryly and Jyn chuckled.

“Hardly.”

Then she turned quickly and wrapped herself in his arm. After all, he never dropped her hand, so she had to take advantage of it.

“You won't disappoint, I'm sure of it. But I'm tired and I have to work in less than six hours. So good night, Lieutenant. And thanks for indulging me.”

She pecked him on the cheek and went to hail a hover cab. Just as she climbed inside, she heard him call out.

“Outside the district, you can call me Cassein. Good night June.”

He waved and she felt like an idiot as she couldn't stop smiling.

\----

By the third time they met for diner, Cassian decided to stop pretending and he forwent his uniform to meet her in plain clothes. He was enjoying himself and even if it wasn't part of his mission, it didn't interfere with it in any way so why bother? His work as an counter intelligence Officer was difficult, he had to walk the very fine line every time he learned something new from either the suspects he was supposed to interrogate and his contacts outside of the Federal District and he had to control everything that arrived or went out of his office. It was exhausting even with Kay's help.

But when he was with Jyn, he didn't have to be careful. Or at least, he didn't have to think so much about what he said and what he could reveal. She always chose very public place to be sure they weren't alone and the ambient noise was too loud to let anyone catch on their conversation. Moreover, they avoided as much as possible anything work related.

A few times, Cassian had asked her about her mission, and tried to understand why she had worked so hard to be with him, but he had never got a clear answer. And since he couldn't ask directly his superior, he was stuck with having a friendly face whose role he had no idea of and he wasn't truly that upset by that turn of event.

Tonight, they shared a huge plate of spicy stew with flat bread and he was tempted to lick the remaining sauce Jyn had on her fingers at least two times when she put her hands near his face while talking but he refrained and only wiped the smudge on her cheek with his thumb because they were supposed to be dating or at least, flirting a bit and he couldn't resist. She kept smiling, even when their conversation ran dry and Cassian felt flutters in his bones every time he caught her eye and he wasn't so sure if they were pretending or not because he certainly wasn't.

On their fifth night, he was walking her home and he decided they had to talk about it, he just didn't know how to broach the subject. It was less than two weeks since their first date and Cassian didn't know if they were moving too fast or not but he didn't really care as long as she was comfortable with him. Their conversation stayed light, Jyn telling him about some nonsense her coworkers talked about during their break and she laughed good naturally.

“You seem to enjoy yourself with them.”

She tensed for a bit and he had to slow down his pace to not leave her behind, dread heavy on his chest. When he looked back at her, she was bitting her lip and avoiding his eyes. His blood ran cold and tried to find something to say but she shook her head and offered him a feeble smile before grabbing his hand.

“You're not wrong, they're nice people and...”

She didn't finish and he didn't push. He knew the feeling. Not all Imperials were bad people. Some of them just didn't know any better. They were born in the Core Worlds, grew up with the system and only lived in it because they never had anything else. The rest of her team were Coruscani technicians who never left the capital, how could they know?

“It's easy. Being here, I mean. I have a job I like, a roof over my head, three, even four meals a day, there is no danger, no war... Honestly, for me, it's one of the easiest con I ever made.”

“You chose well your character.”

“It's barely a character, you know. To me, June is more like an alternative version of me, the one I probably would have become if I wasn't born of an anarchist.”

She smiled but her eyes were sad and Cassian drew her in his arms without thinking. He felt her breath hitch and he began to apologize, freeing her immediately but Jyn gripped his jacket and snuggled more closely.

“It's fine,” she mumbled on his neck, “I'm fine.”

Yet, she didn't move and Cassian felt a bit stupid to stay there so he wrapped his arms around her back and took a deep breath. It was the opening he needed and he should take it but she beat him to it.

“I know you're not one for physical demonstration but I think it's time we pick up our game.”

He forced his muscles to relax and his heart to slow down because nothing really happened and they didn't need to show off any kind of affection in public and...

“What are you thinking about?” he asked before his brain went to overdrive.

She huffed in his collar and looked up at him without moving herself out of his embrace.

“I'd like you to take me home.”

For a few heartbeats, Cassian forgot where he was and considered the possibility of taking a hovercab to bring her back with him. Even if they were just pretending, the idea of having her somewhere safe and far away from the constant monitoring of the city was tempting. In the intimacy of his quarter, they could be more themselves than anywhere else of the planet.

But it was a risk too, because Lieutenant Willix' every move were always under the scrutiny of the NIA higher ups and he didn't want them to look to close at Jyn fake persona. So very slowly, he pushed her away. His fingers lingered on her nape when he told her, “Not tonight.”

She huffed and pouted but her eyes were dark on him.

“You're not fun.”

He chuckled and waved for a cab.

“That's very true but you can't fault me for pretending anything else. My work always has priority and...”

“Then let me help.”

This time, her gaze was insistent, but not for the same reason and when she moved to kiss him, or pretended to, she managed to say, “ID” before drawing away.

The warmth of her breath stayed on his lips until he was home and he wasn't so sure he took the right decision. Nonetheless, the next day he found her with the rest of the Techs and threw her a datachip like it was nothing.

“What's this?” the woman who was probably some kind of manager given the pin on her uniform asked in a clip tone.

“A challenge for miss Seung, Officer. She pretends she can recognize any kind of scandoc forgery so I give her something to work on.”

Clearly the woman wanted to protest because that wasn't how the technical support worked but Cassian wasn't having it. In his more prissy voice, he explained, “Look, Officer,” his disdain quite palpable in the term, “if you want to have an official demand from Commander Rax to study these docs and then choose who you'll have work on it because you're the boss here, that's fine by me but you'll waste at least precious hours and since I need the result by tonight and I have other thing to do than harass my superiors for you to feel useful, do us all a favor and don't waste anymore of my time. There are lives at stake here and I won't have traitors waiting lazily in a cell because of the like of you.”

With a glare in Jyn's direction, he added, “If you have any doubt on anyone on the list, comm me immediately and send your result to my droid.”

He left the floor without another word and only silently prayed he wouldn't regret involving her so much.

  
  


 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just as he was leaving his office, Kay said, “I do not wish to be present in your quarters if you intend to pursue your quest of intimacy with miss Seung, Lieutenant, so I think it would be better for all of us if I stay here.”
> 
> “That's very nice of you, Kay, but you don't have anything to worry about. I truly don't intent to-”
> 
> “I beg to differ, Lieutenant. You may not wish to initiate intimate behavior with miss Seung, but she wants to and my calculations say you will not refuse her.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New moodboard (slightly spoilery for this chapter and the next) [here](http://doptimous.tumblr.com/post/174247368920/every-me-and-ever-you-part-3). Enjoy!!

 

Kay's encryptions were easy for her to override because he always used the same patterns in his code and by now, she knew them by heart. Of course, it was still a good cipher, with very little risk of understanding from anyone else, but to her it was child's play. What presented an actual challenge for Jyn was to work on Cassian's data while pretending to do her job and conversing with a very talkative droid who would be very pissed to realize how easily she broke his coding.

So Jyn had not only to pretend to be working on the maintenance of the NIA external network like any other tech support but also research for fraud where there were obviously none and try to have difficulties on understanding some basics messages sent by on overzealous and probably very bored Kay. It was a bit too much but the real hard part in all this affair was to find a way to make the perfect and truly official ID of a few Alderraniaan prisoners looked like fake scandocs.

Luckily for her, Jyn didn't have to report on anyone other than Cassian about her discovery so maybe, he didn't really need her to justify anything. And maybe she could just use those ID for something else, like reassign them to real Alderraniaan patriots, in dire need of a new identity before living Coruscant. Because after a few hours of unfruitful research, Jyn was sure of one thing, the people on the list weren't traitors to the Empire. All of them originated for Alderraan, of course, but they didn't have any tie with it for a long time. No family there, no business, nothing. They were all pupils of the Empire, living the dream in Coruscant, climbing up the social ladder and military rank like any good Emperor’s servant.

When she esteemed she had been patient enough with his new puzzle, she messaged Kay again on the new VPN he built up and together, they exchanged for quite sometimes about who they should keep or not on the list. They didn't agree on the numbers of profiles to keep nor on who was the most relevant but arguing with Kay was funnier than Jyn remembered and even if she wouldn't tell him, she quite enjoyed his witty input on her work.

By the time her shift was done, she was quite pleased with herself and even if Cassian didn't ask for a personal report, she thought she could pass by his office before leaving the building. She just took the time to go to the canteen, chose the biggest mug available and filled it in half with caf and the other half with the heaviest blue cream the dispenser offer before knocking on his door. Her smile disappeared as soon as she peeked inside the room. For a few heartbeats, she couldn't breathe and her stomach twisted in a painful way.

Looking everywhere, she tried to find a clue of what happened, but all she could see were his hands. His knuckles were bloody. His knuckles were bloody and there was a nasty scratch on his cheekbone. It wasn't how someone who spent the day analyzing data should look and Jyn had the nasty feeling that he had to overview, or worse, participate to some gruesome interrogation but of course, she couldn't say anything, or ask anything because it wasn't her place and even if their relationship wasn't a secret -nothing was in the NIA, it would be very bad for both of them to show any kind of intimacy here. She wanted to throw up and the smell of caf and cream in her hand wasn't helping at all. With a very false cheerful smile, she held the cup out for him.

“Here, Lieutenant. You seem to need it.”

He hadn't moved since she entered, his focus only on his screen, and he didn't reach for the cup either so she put it on his desk and fished the datachip in a pocket and slid it slowly next to the cup. She made a brief report about what she found and how she notified his droid and was about to take her leave when finally he acknowledged her presence and nodded curtly without meting her eyes.

For a few very hard breaths, Jyn hesitated then in a low voice, she added, “And if you don't work yourself to death tonight, maybe we could...”

She couldn't finish her sentence because Cassian stood up abruptly and pushed her out by the shoulders.

“Good idea, Seung. Go home, grab a change of clothes and meet me up at the entrance in an hour.”

“Meet...” She blinked, confused and a bit alerted by his sudden change of behavior but what drove her heart on override was the dark smirk that bloomed on his face.

“Why, miss Seung, don't go so shy on me now. You wanted me to take you home, no? Well, congratulations, you've just convinced me to give you a chance.”

“Now you're mostly being a jerk, you know.”

Cassian stiffened and finally looked at her and something like relief passed in his eyes. His face remained remarkably blank but it was a blankness she knew well, the one he used when he didn't want to give anything, not to hide something.

“You're right. I was just trying to be as blunt as you are, but from me it sounds coarse and not funny at all. The proposition of spending the night is totally up to you, I won't pressure you for anything.” He smiled, more real and maybe a bit shy and said, “Your usual choices for diner are extremely dull and I thought I could show you something else. If you’d like to. See it as a thank you for your help.”

“And so I'm going to get dessert home,” she couldn't help but ask now he was more like himself. He smirked again, softer, with a mischievous glint in the eye.

“In fact, I was thinking of making you diner, but it's up to you to bring a dessert.”

“You'll cook for me?”

Disbelief was heavy on her tongue as she raked her brain to find what it could mean but she came up with nothing when he shrugged and once again, looked at anything but her. He even grabbed the cup she brought him, raised it slowly as if it could explode and took a careful sip before smiling some more.

“That was the idea. And since you've already bring me some sweets, don't worry about dessert.”

There was a strange silence between them and neither seemed to know how to break it. Finally, Jyn opted for the most direct way and with a determined nod said, “Okay. I'll get my stuff and I'll meet you in an hour. Are you sure it's enough for you to check on what I've found?”

His smile was sharp when he answered, “Of course it is. I have a highly efficient droid with me and he's already done most of the calculations about the different courses of actions. See you in an hour.”

\---

Cassian had had a hard time getting use to Kay’s new voice modulator. The too high whiny pitch was really galling, even for the droid so they took the habit to exchange via messages more than voice and that was why he was really surprised when Kay announced, “I may have misjudged the general competency of miss Seung. She’d proved over and over her adaptability and she surpassed my expectation, both in the understanding of your mission and in her ability to be useful.”

His first instinct was to retort he was already aware of that but Lieutenant Willix couldn’t know much about Juniper Seung and even if it was easy to see how good she was in her job, it was nothing compared to Jyn’s brilliant efficiency. So Cassian chose a very non-committal answer and finished typing his last report of the Alderaanian prisoners before sending it to his superiors. His plan was a dangerous one but with so many lives at stake, he had to try.

Just as he was leaving his office, Kay said, “I do not wish to be present in your quarters if you intend to pursue your quest of intimacy with my Seung, Lieutenant, so I think it would be better for all of us if I stay here.”

“That's very nice of you, Kay, but you don't have anything to worry about. I truly don't intent to-”

“I beg to differ, Lieutenant. You may not wish to initiate intimate behavior with miss Seung, but she wants to and my calculations say you will not refuse her.”

Cassian blinked, surprised and a bit upset by his friend's declaration but before he could refute anything, his datapad biped and he saw a notification from Kay in bold letters, 'YOU LOVE HER'.

The message disappeared three mere seconds after it showed on the screen and Cassian barely had time to process what it said. But Kay's fear to be found out made him take an awful number of precautions, such as destroying every evidence of conversation between him and any other one and Cassian wasn't in the mood to dwell on his feeling. Not now, and probably not ever.

“It's time for you to go, Lieutenant, if you don't want to be late,” Kay announced, his eyes flashing dull yellow. “I'll stay here to work on the best scenario to advance in your mission and I'll send you my results as soon as I find something satisfactory. Enjoy your night, Lieutenant.”

He sat on the charging pod and Cassian just had the time to put on his gloves before his datapad biped again to tell him he'd be late if he didn't leave. So like the good soldier he was supposed to be, he did as he was told. Jyn arrived in front of the NIA building just as he walked out of it and he couldn't totally suppress his smile. Maybe he should think about their relationship and how it could evolve, but after, when their mission was over.

“Good, you're right on time,” he said in way of greetings and because he needed to stay in character for a little longer. It was getting more and more difficult with her, especially outside, especially since he was pretty sure Kay was right. Her first respond was a grin then she deadpaned, “Well, you invited me so nicely, I couldn't make you wait,” then she grabbed his arm and asked, “Where to, exactly?”

Cassian guided her to the back of the NIA building and he felt her excitement by the way her fingers clench his sleeve when she realized where he lead her.

“You have your own speeder and all this time you let me take a cab to go home!” She crossed her arms and glared at him but he only shrugged.

“Perk of being an Imperial officer, miss Seung. Maybe you should envisage enlisting.”

Jyn snorted loudly at that but the twinkle in her eyes told him what she really thought of the suggestion.

“My employer wouldn't like that very much and I have to say I'm way too much of a coward to try anything military. But if I find myself in true despair, I'll think about it. So, where are we going?”

He smiled this time, and gave her the ignition key of the speeder before she tried to hotwire it.

“Down.”

She blinked, surprised, but still grabbed the key.

“You want me to go down-”

“I thought we've already established I was the one going down tonight,” he cut with a smirk and she huffed with a roll of her eyes. “And you seem like you'll enjoy driving, so be my guest. We need to go to the market on the lower levels to find some ingredients, but if you're uncomfortable or anything...”

“Which level exactly do you want?”

“Not too far away. Somewhere around 3200th, there's a good place for fresh foods and spices. You'll like it.”

“I'm sure I'll do.”

She put her backpack in the small trunk and mounted the speeder like she was born on one and Cassian did his best to not stare at the movement of her hips as she wiggled to find the good position for her legs. She was way smaller than him and all the controls were made for his size, not hers. Yet she adjusted quite well and finally, she turned to look at him over her shoulder with some kind of challenge in the twist of her lips.

“You get on?”

This was a bad idea and he knew it. Kay was right and he couldn't deal with it right now. He couldn't think about her that way even when it was so easy to pretend, to pretend he pretended. He was way over his head on this topic, totally far gone and even his droid noticed how madly in love he was and he couldn't deny it anymore although he was in the middle of a very intricate operation. He knew it even before she hijacked his mission, before all their other missions but he'd managed to avoid thinking about his feeling and he could continue to do so. There wasn't the time right now. He needed her help, he needed to descend lower and lower on Coruscant and he needed an excuse to do so and not overthink everything. So he took a deep breath and mounted the speeder behind her.

“Hold on tight, Lieutenant, we're going for a ride.”

He barely had time to wrap his arms around her waist she revived the engine and rushed through the evening traffic.

\-----

At one point, when they were deep enough in the small streets of the Old Market Sector, he feared she asked. It would be logical for her to want to know what he was looking for, or at least, what had happened to his hands because he'd seen how she looked at him when she'd arrived in his office and he still saw how she kept on glancing at his knuckles. But she didn't and he was both grateful and wary of her silent. She could always read him easily and she could pick up everything he never said so maybe she understood.

He should have kept his gloves on too, just like when he met her, that way she may have forgotten, but it was difficult for him to choose vegetables without touching them, and he thought... well, to be honest, he didn't really think because she was right beside him when he found some Kajaka roots that looked promising and he just removed his gloves and picked one to test its freshness. He heard Jyn's intake of breath and tensed inwardly but she said nothing and he went on with his search as if nothing had happened.

Being here with her was very soothing. Jyn seemed fascinated by the various stalls of foods and he was tempted to just buy something there for them to eat while walking, just for her to enjoy the place a bit longer. Cassian was supposed to go lower to find some refugees who’d escaped the Empire squads but the problem was, he had no idea yet what or who he was looking for and even if they weren't followed, Cassian knew he couldn’t waste too much time out. His apartment was under heavy surveillance, so they had to come back and played their part. But he didn't want to think about that either so he focused on getting everything he needed for making diner.

As he was bargaining with a vendor about the price of Collafa spice, Jyn leaned against his back to whisper a few words in his ear to tell him she was going to take a look a little bit farther and Cassian’s brain stalled at the feeling of her body flushed against his. It took him at least three heartbeats to go back to his negotiations and three more to regain his composure, fortunately, the spices vendor found his obvious infatuation endearing and he lowered his price more quickly to let the Lieutenant go after his wife. Cassian was smart enough to not correct him and he nearly ran down the aisle to join Jyn at a fruits stand.

Her frown alerted him immediately and he looked around for a threat, the Imperial presence heavy even there, making it so difficult to learn anything about the refugees, but before he could find anything suspicious, she turned to him and brought a red berry to his lips.

“Eat up,” she commanded sternly and he opened his mouth to taste the small red fruit like it was perfectly normal for her to feed him. It was good, sour and not too sugary but very juicy and it popped suddenly on his tongue to the point of nearly making him choke. Jyn grinned at him when she saw his surprise and she used her thumb to get the bit of moisture that passed his lips and he couldn't help but look at her when she brought her finger to her lips and he felt like a fool for being this fascinated but something so trivial.

“That's Oi-ois berries. It's been a while since I have some. I think we could have them for dessert.”

Her smile turned coil when she said it and Cassian refrained the urge to roll his eyes. Then she came into his personal place and asked slowly, “How long before we have to go?”

Cassian shrugged, partly because he wasn’t sure and partly because he dreaded the moment they’d be alone in his place. He didn't intend to force her to sleep with him, but he had to find something to do when they'd come back that justify her presence with him for longer than just diner. Maybe now was the time to finally discuss how far they should pretend. But with the new founded knowledge that even Kay was aware of his feelings, Cassian hesitated to broach the subject. He didn't want to make her uncomfortable.

Three times he opened his mouth to ask her and three times he made a fool of himself and opted to talk about all the strange products other than food they could find on the market like a laserbrain on spice. By the fourth time he tried, she grabbed his fingers tighter to make him stop and asked slowly, “Can I kiss you?”

He must have looked very confused because she closed the gap between them, pushed on her toes to come face to face with him and added, “I know you're not on to public display of affection and that you don't like being touched but-” her eyes went to the side, to somewhere he couldn't see and he only nodded because she must have a good reason to ask and she was too close for him to think properly. So he let her kiss him and he forgot about everything else because he didn't know how to find his marks without more help and she tasted like the oi-oi berry she just gave him and even if it was just for their cover, she was kissing him and-

“If you don't need anything else, let's go home,” she said slowly and Cassian nodded again because he loved her and he was way too far gone to deny her anything.

 


	4. Chapter 4

Honestly, Jyn was quite upset with herself and she couldn't get to calm down. Her grip on the speeder’s handle was too strong, she knew it but the need to punch something was nearly overwhelming. How could she have been so selfish? How could she have kissed him so wantonly when she knew he didn’t like it? And even if he’d followed her lead, she shouldn’t have been so greedy. They were here on a mission and she knew Cassian was stressed out so she had to be careful and not harass him just because their fake personae pretended to be together in a more open way than they truly were. It wasn’t right to abuse of his professionalism that way, it wasn’t right to use him to reinforce a cover she’d created mostly for herself and worse of all, it wasn’t right to keep him in the dark about her role here.

Cassian must have felt her irritation because he was suddenly squeezing her waist more tightly and asked her to slow down.

“We’re approaching the residential area, so be careful. You don’t want a control just because you enjoy the speed.”

His tone was light but she still was pretty sure he was nervous and she had no idea how to confront him. They'd been around each other for months and they never had a problem before. Of course, she'd never put her tongue in his mouth before. Focusing on the task at hand, she loosened her grip on the speeder and slowed down as they neared the residential buildings. Cassian showed her where to park and he dismounted swiftly as soon as she was in the hangar, not waiting for her to stop the engine.

Jyn swallowed her sigh and followed him down a grey corridor with her bags then up a generic metallic stairway and all the way to another grey corridor where finally, he stopped. He didn't say a word to her as he opened his door and she brushed past him just to be sure he didn’t resent and thankfully, he didn't cringe when their arm touched. He may be tensed but he didn't recoil at being near her so she still had a chance. Taking a step inside, she noted the apartment was as impersonal as it could be and small, barely bigger than her own quarters with only a living area and a bedroom in the back but the kitchen opened on a nice balcony with a wooden table and a couple of chairs and Jyn dropped her bags haphazardly to go outside. The night was never dark in Imperial City, at least, not at this level but the lights of the buildings shone beautifully all around her and for a moment, Jyn understood why so many people here forget about the war. It was so easy when you lived happily in the middle of all this. Then she heard Cassian behind her, putting their groceries away and it was something so ordinary, so mundane for people like them, she wanted to enjoy such a luxury.

Her stomach clenched once more at their forced charade. She wanted this to be true, a normal day of her life, coming home to a loved one after work like any other people, and she hated herself for it.

“Your murder bot isn’t here? I thought he’d follow you home,” she asked as she moved to help him in the kitchen.

“Technically, it wouldn’t have been following, since I made a stop at the market with you, but no, Kay stayed in my office.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m not afraid of you miss Seung,” Cassian answered with a teasing smile, “and I don’t need any prying eyes in here, even those of a droid.”

She pursed her lips and made a show of looking around her. “So we’re truly alone?” She made a vague gesture with her hand to ask silently if they could be listened to and Cassian shrugged. “As far as I know. Does that bother you?”

Jyn shook her head, “On the contrary, Lieutenant, I'm glad to have some time alone with you. I'm just surprised it's finally possible.” She took a step toward him but refrained her urge to hug him. She had no reason to, no one to show off to and their real relationship wasn't that physical so even if she wanted nothing more than to wrap herself in his arms, she just stood there and tried to act natural. But of course, Cassian caught her hesitation and with his demure smile, told her, “You don't have to force anything just because you're here. I'm perfectly aware of your brash personality and even brasher way of talking and I truly don't expect anything more than your company for dinner.”

He looked as awkward as she felt which was a relief but she also noted his avoidance of using her name, her real name and that was a very interesting point so before doing anything stupid like teasing him again, she asked for some music and when to the panel on the wall to choose some random radio station. When she was back in the kitchen, he was already cutting some vegetables and showed her a knife with his elbow to have her help.

“You don't have to but I was under the impression that you won't like to just stay there and be pretty.”

She beamed at him and came over the counter to rest beside him, cutting tiny squares of Kajaka roots while Cassian began to explain in a very low voice that one of the Alderanian prisoners used to work for Admiral Grendreef and was a close friend of his assistant, Joreth Sward.

“And he thought that'd be sufficient for him to avoid any interrogation?” Jyn asked slowly, already thinking of a way to slice in the Naval’s holonet to erase or at least, significantly damage any picture they may have had of Grendreef's assistant. They'd never really discussed Cassian's aliases, his former missions or whom he'd had to work with but since Jyn got the clearance to access his file, well, she used it. Just like she knew he'd read all the reports the Alliance had on her. It was easier that way.

Beside her, Cassian shook his head with a sigh.

“Not really, he understood perfectly the situation.” His pointed look was pretty clear he didn't want her to do anything because the prisoner was not a threat. “What he didn't get was why he was separate from his family. He had nothing to hide he said... and well, I may need your help once more, to look out for anything suspicious in his scandocs because for some loyal soldier of the Empire, he was quite aggressive.”

He gave her a crooked half-smile and Jyn put the knife down to cup his jaw, right below the scratch.

“Did he hurt you?”

Again he shook his head and by doing so, his lips brushed her thump and something in her gut clench. She had to get a grip because it wasn't healthy to want that much. She had no problem keeping her distance for months and even if she had missed him like crazy in the first weeks on his assignment here, they'd spent more time together the last few days than they had in a long time.

Maybe that was why it was so hard to resist. That and because they had to pretend to be way more intimate than they usually were and it was too easy to play that part. Cassian must have sensed her hesitation because he grabbed her hand and kissed her knuckles before putting it down and without releasing it, he said, “It's okay. It's part of the job.”

He smiled slowly and looked down at their hands, “I won't say I like it but it's easier with you here.”

She smiled too and wrapper her free arm around his shoulders to hug him. She resisted the urge to kiss him again so she could indulge this.

“Good,” she whispered in his collar, “because I want to be useful. I’m here to help. So just ask and I'll do it. Anything, really.”

She felt him stiffen so she took a step back and repressed a sigh.

“What are you making exactly,” she asked in a way to diffuse any awkwardness between them and she resumed her cutting while he tried to explain the different part of the stew he had in mind. They worked quickly together and she had to admit, it was fun to watch him cook. He was as confidant in a kitchen as on a lookout but here, he was truly enjoying himself. When he covered the first pot with the vegetable, Jyn knew she couldn't help him anymore so she left him finish whatever other strange things he had to by the stove while she went back to where she put her bag down before heading to the 'fresher.

Just as she thought, Cassian had a bathtub, small but still better than the cubicle she had back at her place and it meant he had water, a true luxury she didn't really have the chance to indulge since they'd left Yavin 4. It was a bit cramped, even for a small size like her but still, she stayed in the water, debating internally on how to broach the subject of their false pretended relationship when there was a knock at the door.

For a few seconds, she considered wrapping herself in a towel and meeting Cassian like that but that seemed a bit silly so instead she just called out, “Come in,” and waited. The silence was deafening and she looked at the ripples in the water following the thrum of her heartbeats as she said again, “Seriously, come in.”

The door opened carefully by two inches and she only saw the tip of Cassian's socks before he asked her if she needed anything. With a growl, she answered slowly, “I'm not talking to you over a door. Come and sit down here. I promise I won't flash you anything. Close your eyes if you must.”

Reluctantly, Cassian made his way to the bathtub, eyes glued to the floor and he sat with his back to her, clearly uncomfortable but willing to do as she'd asked. Jyn chuckled in a jadedly and used the lapping of water to cover her words when she moved to speak directly by his ear.

“Cassian, we need to set some rules, okay. I'm sorry for putting you in this situation, I know you don't like it but please bear with me for a little longer.”

Before she knew it, her hand found his shoulder and the scratchy feeling of his uniform was almost unbearable under her wet fingers but she managed to focus on what she wanted to say. She could feel his muscles under his jacket and it was a good way to judge his mental state since she couldn't see his face.

“Some people started talking around me and I wouldn't have mind the gossip if it had gone in the right direction,” she explained quietly. “But apparently I'm not really remarkable enough to turn the head of an Imperial officer, especially one known for his hard-ass-ness.”

“I think I told you so when I met you. To work in the NIA, you better not be a funny man and-”

“I know. But it was the easiest way for me and I didn't really... I don't know, okay. Anyway, I needed to convince some stupid bucketheads that we're real and you've really fallen for me. That's why I kissed you on the market. And I'm sorry I made you uncomfortable.”

“Don't worry about it,” he said dismissively and after a pose he added, “I was surprised, but that's not a problem.”

Her grip on his shoulder tightened and she could see the cloth darken with moisture under her wet hand.

“Still, I know you're not one for public effusion, especially while wearing your uniform. Maybe you could shed it now.”

She tried to sound light and teasing and probably missed by a mile because Cassian didn't move or raise the bait, so she abruptly changed the toping and asked, “Anyway, if not to see me naked or to join me in the bath, why are you here?”

This time, she was rewarded by a nice spread of red just above his collar and she barely resisted the urge to taste it.

“I don't think the tub can contain the both of us. I'm already quite impressed you manage to fit in. But that's beside the point. Dinner is ready and I just wanted to tell you that. And also checked on whether you need anything.”

He stood up but didn't turn to face her when he added, “Now my mission is completed so I'll forgo the uniform and wait for you in the kitchen. Take all the time you need, I'm not really hungry.”

\---

It was probably the understatement of the year, but at least, Cassian got a moment alone to gather his thoughts and make sure he had his heartrate under control. As if it hadn't been difficult enough when they met outside, now he had to deal with Jyn naked in his flat. No more than an hour after she kissed him like her life depended on it. And of course, her life may have depended of their cover. Just like his. He knew this. But it was hard to think with her so close, so pliant, so very naked.

Focus.

Because if people were suspicious of anything regarding their relationship, it meant they had to show off a bit more and it'd be difficult because it wasn't in Willix' nature to mix professional and personal matters and Cassian disliked the idea of pretending, especially when he couldn't pinpoint where the lie began and where his feelings ended.

On the other hand, Cassian was so much like Willix in that domain that he knew exactly how meeting the right person could smash down all the barriers around his heart and if not forget about his mission, at least, choose others ways. So maybe the best way to sell his pretended relationship with Jyn was to act like he would if it were real and just be very careful of all the blurred lines between them. But that was for latter.

Now, both Willix and Cassian would use the asset at hand and just like Cassian knew how Jyn was resourceful in way no Alliance's reports could even phantom, Willix would know June peculiar talents thanks to their private relationship. Thinking about it that way made things easier. At least, now he was plotting, he didn't dwell on the inevitable problem of intimacy because this was stupid. This all situation was stupid. He had a job to do, a job to pretend to do and both of them were pretty complex so he shouldn’t dwell on anything else.

Jyn could help him find Demeka's family, she could also help him smuggle them to Felman and maybe some others using Mevvok's webs and-

“I know I'm the one who suggest ditching the uniform but maybe you could put some pajamas or something.”

Jyn's voice was smug and her eyes twinkled playfully when he faced her. He realized a second too late he was still in his undershirt, not having decided if he should trade his uniform for normal clothes or his sleeping clothes because he hadn't wanted to put her under any pressure but once again, he overthought. Jyn walked in his room like she was home, dropped her bag near the bedside and sat on the bed to test the mattress and even smirked when she managed to make the headboard snap on the wall with her bouncing.

“I hope the isolation is better than at my place, or that your neighbours don't mind the noise.”

She kept on bouncing with a devious smile and Cassian rolled his eyes before grabbing a loose shirt. It was too easy to be with her, especially when she was so relax and playful. He had to stay away or he'd do something he really shouldn't.

“Don't break the bed before we get a chance to use it, would you. And as I said earlier, dinner's ready so let's eat something.”

Without a second glance, he went back to the kitchen and asked, “Do you want to eat outside or-?”

Jyn was already at the French door, one foot on the balcony so he set the two plates on the wood table and went back to get everything they needed.

“I could get used to this,” Jyn told him when he finally sat in front of her.

“Being served?” he teased, like he didn't get what she was saying, like his heart didn't jump in his chest simply because she was smiling at him and eating his food.

“That too. And you're a surprisingly good cook so it'd be a waste to not use it when it's time to settle down.”

The praise shouldn't affect him so much, the idea of settling shouldn't have any appeal, yet here he was, watching her enjoy his stew in her pyjamas like it was the fanciest meal she ever had and he was so utterly engrossed by her mouth she had to remind him to eat at least two times before he was able to concentrate on his food. He was making a fool of himself but he couldn't care less.

Between the numerous surveillance devices, the drones and all the potential informants in the neighbourhood, they couldn’t take the risk to have a real conversation but with his mind no where near his mission parameters it was probably for the best. So, they ate mostly in silence, just a bit of small talk here and there to avoid looking suspicious, because even if being outside was pleasant, it also meant they didn’t have anything to protect them from Imperial’s ever watching eyes.

When she finished her meal, Jyn smiled at him and bent over to ask in a low voice, “Do you want to watch a movie? We could eat the oi-oi berries in front of it.”

Without waiting for his answer, she grabbed her plate and went back to the kitchen. Cassian saw her disappear in his room and his stomach clenched in a strange mix of nerve and anticipation. It was just watching a holo and sleeping, nothing they hadn’t done before. He could do it. With a deep breath he followed after her and tried for a smile he hope wasn’t too bashful when he saw Jyn was already sitting on the covers with a box of berries. She patted the place beside her before starting the projector and looked so pleased with herself he began to suspect something.

The bright colours of a strange country side erupted in the room with a loud obnoxious music that would easily cover everything they wanted to say. Some forms appeared, maybe humanoids, Cassian wasn’t sure and few words were exchanged in a language he didn’t understand but before he had time to ask Jyn about it, she offered him a few berries and grinned.

“Thank you for having me here tonight and thank you for that delicious meal, Lieutenant. Who knew intelligence officer had so useful skills?”

“I told you your usual diner’s choices were dull. But I’m glad you enjoyed it. Maybe we could do it again.”

“I certainly hope so.”

She grinned again and glanced back at the holo where the shapes didn’t make anymore sense. Suddenly he heard it, the unmissable noise of flesh hitting flesh and in all honestly, it took him way too long to understand why there were so many limbs intertwined together and why the dialogue didn’t mean anything. It wasn’t dialogue.

Jyn giggled beside him, clearly pleased with his reaction and she bounced lightly on the mattress to once again make the headboard slam onto the wall. Cassian grunted and Jyn giggled harder. At least, their cover would be safe.

\-----

They were lying in bed in the wee hours when he finally mentioned his plan. She let her holo-projector play some nonsensical drama as a white-noise to protect their intimacy during the night. Jyn was barely awake and she got the feeling it was the only reason why he talked about it at all. He didn't really want to tell her, he just needed to get it off his chest.

“I can help.”

She moved slowly, rolling onto her side to face him but she tried to keep her distance. She had to. Even if he didn't freeze each time she touched him, she knew how he uncomfortable he was with her in his bed. She wondered if he slept at all with her so close.

“It's dangerous, and not only because you doesn't have any reason to leave Coruscant.”

She smiled and flicked his forehead.

“You know, my assignment in the Federal District is only temporary. It’s just a mission like any other from my main employer. If he wants me elsewhere, I have to go. Nothing keeps me here.”

He raised an eyebrow at her and her smile widened.

“Officially, nothing. I don't remember Lieutenant Willix asking me to stay with him.”

She raised her eyebrows too and gave him a very pointed look but seeing his ashen face, she softened and smoothed the frown on his brow. He didn't flinch when she touched him so there was hope.

“Tell me.”

Cassian sighed and closed his eyes while she let her fingers play on his forehead. Without looking at her, he said, “I need you to escort Alderanian families to Ord Vaxal. You have to...”

“Find a way to extract them without anyone knowing, yeah.” She reached his hair and combed slowly through it.

“Can I take the salty bot with me?”

“Of course. I wouldn't have had it any other way.”

His smile was more present this time and she tried to not grin back but when he reached for her hand between them, she squeezed his fingers and it felt so much like home, being with him plotting some far-fetched rescue.

 


End file.
